Boosting Sales with Social Media

In the rush to capture holiday sales, don’t ignore the big role that social media can play.

Consumers are increasingly looking beyond email promotions, flyers and mailers for their holiday bargains. The AmEx Spending and Saving Tracker notes that nearly a quarter of consumers plan to use social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Groupon and Foursquare for deals and promotions this year.

Small business expert Melinda Emerson offers a number of tips for capturing some of those sales. Start by building a social media following – and to do that, share other people’s content at a 4-to-1 ratio to your own. It’s counterintuitive, but it works. And don’t just broadcast tweets and posts into the socialsphere; listen and respond to people who retweet you, share your post, comment or ask a question.

If your product or service is visual and targets women, get on Pinterest and share it.

If your focus is more on business-to-business sales, LinkedIn is where you want to be. Find groups that are a fit for your interests and company and get involved.

Once you have your followers interested, offer them special promotions – and make sure your website is an attractive place to visit when they get there.